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Saturday, 11 February 2012

The Victorian Government has rezoned more than 200 hectares of land for housing in the Latrobe Valley.

The planning amendment will create about 2,500 new housing lots in Churchill, Moe, Newborough, Morwell and Traralgon.

Planning Minister Matthew Guy says the rezoning will make housing more affordable in the region.

He says it will also boost growth by encouraging more people to move from the city to the Latrobe Valley.

"We believe that the Latrobe Valley has a huge opportunity, a huge ability to grow its population, to grow its economy and land supply is a key way of doing it," he said.

More land to expand

02 Feb, 2012 01:00 AM

THE latest significant increase in Latrobe Valley's land supply has been welcomed as just reward for the "extreme confidence" developers have in the area's future.

This release is expected to see a further 2600 residential lots available across 228 hectares of rezoned land.

At the same time the Urban Development Institute of Australia welcomed the decision as one which would "help provide a release valve to take the increasing population pressure off Melbourne and its expanding fringe suburbs".

Today the State Government is expected to gazette the rezoning of 115.9 hectares in Traralgon, 53.5 hectares in Churchill, 37.8 hectares in Morwell and 15.1 hectares in Moe and Newborough, for future residential development.

The land has been rezoned under Latrobe City Council's Planning Scheme Amendment C58.

Though the government announced the land release on Monday, information on the land's location cannot officially be made public until it has been gazetted. However, yesterday State Member for Morwell Russell Northe told The Express which areas had been proposed for rezoning as part of the latest planning amendments requested by council.

It is understood the key parcels of rezoned Traralgon land will be at its eastern end around McNairn and Melrossa roads and around Landsdowne Street and Retreat Road.

The 53.5 hectares proposed for rezoning in Churchill included an area around McDonald Way and Matthews Road as well a precinct of land opposite the former Acacia Way service station, at Churchill's entrance, and down towards the Churchill Soccer Club.

It is understood the area to be rezoned in Morwell is at the northern end of Crinigan Road near Alexanders Road, while the 15.1 hectares in Moe/Newborough will be near Old Sale Road and Haigh Street, abutting the Moe-Yallourn Rail Trail.

The State Government said the most recent planning amendment followed last year's release of 562 hectares of land supply, bringing the potential number of new homes in the region to 6500 across almost 800 hectares.